The present invention generally relates to a feed supplement for ruminants and, more particularly, to a feed supplement and method for increasing the amount of unsaturated fatty acids in the tissues and milk of ruminants.
Lipids are a class of compounds which contain long chains of aliphatic hydrocarbons and their derivatives. Generally, lipids are greasy to the touch and insoluble in water. One class of lipids, fats and oils, are substances that serve as nutrient reserves in animals and plants and are essential elements of the diet for most animals, including humans. Fats constitute one of the chief structural components of living cells.
Fats and oils are made up of two basic units: fatty acids and glycerol. Fatty acids are compounds containing a chain of carbon atoms attached to a carboxyl group. An important feature of fatty acids is the number of double bonds in their carbon chain. If their are no double bonds present, the fatty acid is considered saturated (with hydrogen atoms). If, on the other hand, a double bond is present in the carbon chain, the fatty acid is considered unsaturated. A polyunsaturated fatty acid is one in which there are two or more carbon double bonds.
When made a part of the diet, certain saturated fatty acids are known to cause adverse health effects, such as coronary heart disease and high blood pressure. Unsaturated fatty acids, on the other hand, have not been found to cause similar problems. Consequently, those skilled in the art have been attempting to find different ways, including modifying food products, for increasing the ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids in an average person's diet.
One major source of saturated fatty acids in a normal diet comes from consuming red meat and milk. As such, the present invention is directed to a feed supplement for ruminants that increases the amount of unsaturated fatty acids absorbed by the animal for the construction of tissues and the production of milk. The meat and milk obtained from the animal results in a healthier food product for humans.
Although not directed to increasing the absorption of unsaturated fatty acids, other previous methods and feeds have been offered in the past for their effect on the animal. For instance, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,093,740 and 4,241,085, both by Fahnenstich et al., are directed to a fodder for ruminants. Specifically, N-acyl-methionine is added to ruminant fodder in order to increase the intake of methionine, an amino acid, by ruminants. According to Fahnenstich et al., the additive results in an improvement, for example, in the growth of wool in sheep. The N-acyl-methionine is added in an amount to provide methionine in an amount from 0.01 to 5 percent based on the dry weight of the fodder.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,627,892 to Moor discloses a method of improving the growth rate of pigs, poultry, foul, and fur-bearing animals. The method includes administering a thiouracil-carboxylic acid to the animal. The method is for increasing growth rate, improving egg production in poultry, increasing fertility in fur-bearing animals, improving the skins of fur-bearing animals, and providing activity against certain diseases in pigs. Further, the thiouracil-carboxylic acid can be administered together with methionine or a biological equivalent thereof for further improving results.
An encapsulated biologically active material for feeding to ruminants is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,541,204 to Sibbald et al. The biologically active materials include amino acids, vitamins, and antibiotics, which are totally encased in a continuous film of protective material. The protective material is substantially immune to degradation in the rumen, which is the first stomach of the animal, but breaks down thereafter for releasing the biologically active materials. The protective material can be made from triglycerides such as hydrogenated vegetable and animals fats, waxes such as rice bran wax, resin wax blends, and formolized gelatin.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,879,162 to Baldini et al. relates to animal feeds containing added fat and free methionine. The basic feed containing methionine is modified by the addition of an edible fat. An edible fat refers to both fats and oils, as well as to the free fatty acids or derived lipids. The amount of added fat should be such that the total fat of the feed will amount to about 5 to 13 percent by weight of the total composition. Also, butyric acids can be used in place of the methionine. The resulting feed is primarily for increasing the growth of poultry but can also be directed to pigs, calves, lambs, and other domestic animals.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 3,624,114 to Merelle discloses water insoluble, lipo-soluble compounds consisting of fatty acid amido-methionines for use in therapeutic and cosmetic preparations.
Thus, many different types of animal feeds and feed supplements have been offered in the past for producing desired effects in animals. However, a need exists for a method of increasing the amount of unsaturated fatty acids in the meat and milk of ruminants. The prior art is generally deficient in providing a method or a feed supplement that will accomplish this goal.
In the past, the present inventor attempted to determine whether the unsaturated fatty acids, linoleic acid or stearic acid, when reacted with the amino acid, methionine, are degraded by ruminal microbes and whether they inhibit fermentation in the stomachs of a ruminant. It was hypothesized that if the unsaturated fatty acids were not degraded, then the above-described reaction product may be used as a feed supplement to increase the intake of unsaturated fatty acids. The results of that study are disclosed in the article "Resistance of Fatty Acyl Amides to Degradation and Hydrogenation by Ruminal Microorganisms," published in the Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 75, pp. 1527-1532 (1992), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Although some success was realized in the above study, the reactant products were found to be too expensive for commercial production. As such, an embodiment of the present invention is directed to using unsaturated fatty acids reacted with non-acidic primary amines to increase unsaturated fatty acid absorption by ruminants. As used herein, a non-acidic primary amine refers to a primary amine that is not an amino acid. Besides being more economical, other unexpected benefits are obtained from using non-acidic primary amines as will be apparent from the detailed description which follows.